1. Area of the Art
The present invention relates generally to power saving mechanisms for shredders. Specifically, this invention discloses a shredder which uses energy only when paper is being shredded or in order to clear a jam in the shredder.
2. Description of the Background Art
With increased privacy concerns shredders have become an integral item in both homes and businesses. Though originally used to destroy paper products, shredders now are used for other forms of media that hold information, such as compact discs. In addition, credit cards and other plastic products are commonly shredded.
Shredders are typically left plugged into an outlet, oftentimes with the auto/off/reverse switch in the auto position because the user either forgets to turn off the power or chooses to leave the shredder on for convenience. In this standby setting, the shredder continues to consume power even though it is not in use. For example, certain shredders have components, such as photodetectors, LED indicators, and/or protection circuits, which draw current even in standby mode. A shredder can consume up to two watts per hour or 48 watts per day in the standby mode. In light of the increasing number of shredders in use, the amount of wasted energy is not insignificant.
In order to reduce power consumption, the present invention uses a micro-switch to turn on the shredder when material is inserted into the shredder throat, and then completely shut off all power after the material has been shredded.
In addition, the present invention ensures that the shredder motor always runs when reverse mode is engaged in order to clear jams in the shredder. This improvement is necessary to handle those situations where a jam occurs after the material has passed through the shredder throat. In such circumstances, since there is no material in the shredder throat to activate the micro-switch, the disclosed mechanism turns the motor on whenever the user switches the shredder to reverse.
From the preceding descriptions, it is apparent that the devices currently being used have significant disadvantages and/or limitations. Thus, important aspects of the technology used in the field of invention remain amenable to useful refinement.